Rainforests, golden beaches and smoking tyres

On a very warm Summers day, Merindah and I set off for Edgeworth to start photographing Kirby and Arron getting ready for their big day. It was made even easier by the fact they were right next door to each other! I spent much of my time photographing the details in Kirby and Arron's bedroom where there was a chandelier and an awesome black and white striped wall! It was a perfect contrast for the orange colour of the bridesmaids dresses and all the details.

Once the girls were all ready, I set off for Lake Macquarie Yacht Club in Belmont for the ceremony. The ceremony was set against a stunning backdrop of the shimmering lake with the sound of the harp playing throughout. As Kirby and Arron were signing their register, a sudden gust of wind came out of nowhere and picked up the certificate and deposited it into the lake!! Thankfully the made of honour was able to reach into the water to collect it before it floated away, and the ceremony continued with an albeit, very wet marriage certificate!

The bridal party was not afraid of having a bit of fun, and many laughs were had with them on location before they headed back to the reception. After a dip in front of a Commodore smoking it up, Kirby and Arron hopped into my car with Merindah and I are we headed off to Pelican and Caves beach for some romantic couples shots.

The reception was held back at the Yacht Club, with lots of hints of orange in the decor, very heart felt speeches that left barely anyone with a dry eye and the young girls all playing dress ups with Kirby's beautiful veil. Thank you both for letting me share the day with you! Both Merindah and I had a great time, with many laughs!

Adorable Bubbas

Lately I have had the opportunity to do something a little different and photograph a few adorable little babies. Just recently two of my couples have had babies. Mat and Jenny who were married at Iron Bark Hill in 2012 just gave birth to their new little man James, and Ellen and Aaron whose wedding I photographed in May 2013 have a lovely little girl named Hazel.

When little James was 6 days old, I loaded the car up with baskets, blankets and suitcases and made my way down to Sydney to photograph him in his new home. What an adorable little man he was. Once we got him to sleep, he was so happy to be posed any which way at all. But at the end when we woke him up, he showed us what a set of lungs he had! Thank you Mat and Jenny for allowing me to spend the afternoon catching up with you both and nursing your adorable little boy!

Only a few weeks later, I spent the day in the studio with little Hazel. What adorable eyes she had! Hazel wasn't hugely keen on sleeping for us and wanted to spend most of the shoot with those beautiful eyes open and looking around at everyone. We managed to get a few sleepy shots though, and she was quite happy to pull a few little poses for us by herself. We even got a sneaky smile here and there. Ellen and Aaron you should both be so proud as you have such a cute little girl! Thank you for letting me meet her!

Convents, Muddy Puddles and Fireworks

February 15th was yet another drizzly day, but I was so pumped as I headed out to one of my favourite venues, Peppers Convent, to photograph the wedding of Jim and Jodie. Merindah headed upstairs to photograph the boys getting ready, while I made my way to the confrence room, where the flower girls were getting their hair done and photographed all the beautiful details while waiting for Jodie to arrive back from the hairdresser.

Due to the annoying drizzle that kept coming and going, the ceremony was moved onto the dance floor at Roberts Restaurant, rather than being out in the garden, but it was no less beautiful, and Jim and Jodie's smiles radiated throughout the undercover area, making everyone cry with happiness (including the handsome page boy). Jim and Jodie's ceremony was full of small rituals and Greek traditions, like the wearing of Stefana.

After the ceremony, we spent some time around the grounds of Peppers Convent and Roberts Restaurant creating some beautiful portraits. Many laughs were had, particularly when several of us needed to stand over a floor air conditioner to cool down (it really was quite muggy with the rain). We then made our way back to Roberts Restraunt for the reception, which included stunning decorations, an awesome dessert bar and fireworks! In the process of running around excitedly photographing fireworks, I managed to trip myself over in a rather deep, sloppy, mud filled puddle. But the photo I got in the process was so worth it! Jim and Jodie, you were such fun to work with! Thank you for being so welcoming to us. And also, thank you for allowing us to share some of the delicious sugary goodness from the dessert bar. I still think about the salted caramel fudge that got away... 

Raindrops, Mustangs and Beautiful Beaches

Valentine's Day 2014 was set to be a wet one, so as I trekked up to Shoal Bay in the pouring rain, I was very thankful for the boot load of umbrellas and towels I had with me. 

Kylie and I arrived at Shoal Bay Resort to start photographing the bridal party preparing. Many phone calls were frantically being made, trying to organise wet weather backup plans, but all the while Hayley still had a smile on her face.

After running a little behind schedule, the girls were in the car and heading to the ceremony. And a miracle happened! The rain stopped! The beach ceremony was going to go ahead! The ceremony was beautiful, with the gorgeous blue green Port Stephen's water in the background, still looking colourful, despite the bleak sky above us. After the ceremony and family photos on the beach, we made our way off on location to create some beautiful portraits. I was feeling rather pumped about the weather and was inspired to create some really moody portraits. Hayley and Shane were such troopers and were more than happy to run with my crazy ideas which included me hanging from a tree and nearly knocking Kylie out!

After about an hour of portraits, we made our way back to the hall the reception was being held in. Hayley and Shane's cake was just awesome, fully covered in bling, there was a slushee machine (and we all know I love Slushees!) and everyones favours were personalise, carved champagne glasses and beer glasses. The rain held off still which allowed us to go outside and get a few final photos with the Mustang in front of the hall.

Thank you Hayley and Shane for letting me share your beautiful day with you! I had an absolute blast!